Compliments of Adam Rifkin, via Flickr

“There is nothing more important than clean and orderly – in office or in life. No doubt about it – nothing. Your speed and quality of output, your mental attitude, the opinion of others, all the principles of production and management, all await and depend on order” [Aslett, 2005, p. 34].

You have probably heard the saying “A cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind.” More importantly, what people perceive when they first see your space sends multiple signals about a host of intangibles: your work ethic, your conscientiousness, your ability to plan, and your overall perceived value as a colleague. Because individuals make snap judgments based on superficial aspects of our lives, our workspace is really a shop front advertising our potential (and quality) of output. Turn the page…